Introduction
Goryeong was the old capital of Daegaya (42-562 AD), a city-state of the Gaya confederacy that once spanned the region now occupied by Gyeongsangnam-do Province to the south of the Korean peninsula. The city of Goryeong played such a central role in the development of the confederacy that many artifacts and historic sites of the Daegaya period can still be found there today.

Some of the most prominent landmarks are the 200 gobuns (ancient tombs) that lie along the southeastern slope of Jusan Mountain in Goryeong. In ancient times, the higher and larger a tomb, the higher the social status of the person buried inside. Given this tradition and historical evidence, the largest tomb in the south has been identified as Geumnim Wangneung (Royal Tomb of King Geumnim); the other large tombs are also presumed to be those of the kings of Daegaya. The large royal tombs (over 20m in diameter) dominate the mountain ridge (the highest point) while mid-sized and smaller tombs can be found on the mountain slopes and foothills.

Historical research on Daegaya began with the excavation and partial identification of the ancient tombs of Goryeong by research teams from Kyungpook National University and Keimyung University in 1977. Excavators discovered a great number of relics—gilt-bronze crowns, swords, armor, and trinkets of gold, silver, and jade—that shed light on the flourishing culture of Gaya.

To continue to encourage interest in the history and culture of Daegaya, officials of Goryeong-gun County established the Daegaya Royal Tomb Exhibit Hall at the foot of Jusan Mountain in Gobun-gun, Jisan-dong. The exhibition hall depicts the social structure of the era through ancient customs such as burying servants alive with their dead masters.

Region : Goryeong-gun Gyeongsangbuk-do
Type : Museums
Daegaya Museum is an exhibition of history and culture of the Daegaya (The Great Gaya; 42-562 AD) Kingdom. The Museum consists of the Daegaya History Pavilion a...

Daegaya History Theme Park (대가야 역사테마관광지)

Region : Goryeong-gun Gyeongsangbuk-do
Type : Amusement Parks/ Tourist Resorts
Daegaya History Theme Park is located in what was the center of the Daegaya Kingdom. The park offers various areas to learn about not only the history of the ar...

Goryeong Daegaya Historic Site (고령 대가야유적지)

Region : Goryeong-gun Gyeongsangbuk-do
Type : Monuments/ Historical Sites
The town of Goryeong is four hours outside of Seoul, and features many relic sites of Daegaya around the whole district of Goryeong-gun. Around the first centur...

Ureuk Museum (우륵박물관)

Region : Goryeong-gun Gyeongsangbuk-do
Type : Museums
Ureuk Museum is a museum dedicated to the Gayageum (a traditional Korean twelve-stringed instrument) and Ureuk, the inventor of the Gayageum and a great musicia...